Method and system to provide security information when authenticating product code

ABSTRACT

A method and system for authenticating goods and thereby detecting and deterring counterfeits are disclosed. According to one aspect of the invention, a client utilizes data received from a host to generate a plurality of security codes and to direct a printing device to print the plurality of security codes on a plurality of products, without retaining the plurality of security codes after the printing device has printed the plurality of security codes on the plurality of products. After the security codes have been printed, a person can communicate the security code to the host, which can verify its authenticity.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No.60/650,364, filed Feb. 3, 2005, which is incorporated herein byreference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates generally to anti-counterfeiting measures,and in particular, to a method and system for authenticating products,and thereby deterring counterfeiting diversion and/or piracy.

BACKGROUND

In the consumer goods industry, counterfeiting is a significant andgrowing problem. While fashion and luxury goods have long been targetsof counterfeiters, nearly any branded product can be the subject ofcounterfeiting. For example, products such as shampoo, automotive parts,baby formula and even beer have been the subjects of counterfeiting.Counterfeiting is difficult to detect, investigate, and quantify.Consequently, it is difficult to know the full extent of the problem.However, by some estimates, between five to seven percent of all worldtrade is in counterfeit goods, amounting to an annual value that exceeds$250 billion. That figure is likely to increase as globalizationcontinues and supply chains are extended further into developingcountries that lack the ability and/or the desire to detect and preventcounterfeiting.

In a traditional counterfeiting scheme, an individual or group ofindividuals, produces, packages and attempts to sell products with theintent to deceptively represent the product's authenticity and/orsource. In most cases, the quality of a counterfeit is less than theoriginal product that the counterfeit has been designed to emulate.Consequently, consumers that unknowingly purchase counterfeit goods arebeing defrauded. In some cases, such as with drugs, medicines andautomotive parts, when a consumer unknowingly purchases a counterfeit,the results can be dire.

Counterfeiting has a significant impact on business entities as well.Perhaps the most obvious negative effect counterfeits have on companiesis lost revenue and profit. Less obvious but equally important is thepotential damage counterfeits can cause to a company's brand equity. Forexample, a single highly publicized negative incident caused by the useof a counterfeit can cause immeasurable damage to a company'sreputation.

Several techniques have been developed or proposed for preventingcounterfeiting. For example, some of the techniques aimed at preventingcounterfeiting include marking products, labels or product packagingwith an identifying mark using holograms, color shifting inks, tamperlabels, intaglio inks, and ultraviolet inks. However, this approach isoften ineffective because the identifying mark is easily copied bycounterfeiters, and/or is too difficult for consumers to recognize.

Another approach to preventing counterfeiting is to utilize radiofrequency identification (RFID) tags. For example, by attaching aspecial RFID tag to a product when it is initially packaged, the productcan be later authenticated by verifying the unique identifying datatransmitted by the RFID tag. However, adding an RFID tag to each productincreases the overall cost of the product. Moreover, the equipment(e.g., RFID sensors or readers) needed to verify the RFID tag may onlybe available to certain entities in the distribution chain of theproduct, and almost certainly are not available to a consumer of theproduct. The RFID tags themselves or the codes within them are alsosubject to counterfeiting. Consequently, there remains a need for aneffective and economical anti-counterfeiting system.

SUMMARY OF THE DESCRIPTION

A method and system for detecting and deterring counterfeits areprovided. Consistent with one embodiment of the invention, a system fordeterring counterfeits includes a client and a host. The client includescode generation logic that utilizes data received from the host togenerate a batch of security codes. Once the security codes aregenerated, the client directs a printing device to print the batch ofsecurity codes on a batch of products without retaining security codesafter the printing device has printed the security codes on theproducts. The host includes code authentication logic that receives asecurity code that has been printed on a particular product along with acode authentication request. Accordingly, the host authenticates thesecurity code by determining whether the security code was generated bythe client.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention is illustrated by way of example and notlimitation in the figures of the accompanying drawings, in which likereferences indicate similar elements and in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates an anti-counterfeiting system having a host componentand a client component, consistent with one embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 2 illustrates a method, according to one embodiment of theinvention, for generating a plurality of unique security codes to beprinted on products;

FIG. 3 illustrates a method, according to an embodiment of theinvention, for authenticating a product on which a security code hasbeen printed;

FIG. 4 illustrates operations and data flow associated with a method forgenerating security codes, according to an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 5 illustrates operations and data flow associated with a method forauthenticating a product containing a security code, according to anembodiment of the invention;

FIG. 6A illustrates an example of a security code comprisingalphanumeric text, according to an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 6B illustrates an example of a security code comprisingalphanumeric text encoded as a graphic symbol, according to anembodiment of the invention;

FIG. 7 illustrates a diagrammatic representation of a machine, in theexemplary form of a computer system, within which a set of instructionsfor causing the machine to perform any one or more of the methodologiesdiscussed herein, may be executed.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Methods and systems for detecting and deterring counterfeits aredescribed. In the following description, for purposes of explanation,numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thoroughunderstanding of the present invention. It will be evident to oneskilled in the art, however, that the present invention may be practicedwithout these specific details. The description and representationherein are the means used by those experienced or skilled in the art toeffectively convey the substance of their work to others skilled in theart. In some instances, to avoid unnecessarily obscuring aspects of thepresent invention, well known operations and components have not beendescribed in detail.

Reference herein to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment” means that aparticular feature, structure, operation, or other characteristicdescribed in connection with the embodiment may be included in at leastone implementation of the invention. However, the appearance of thephrase “in one embodiment” in various places in the specification doesnot necessarily refer to the same embodiment.

Embodiments of the present invention include methods and systems forauthenticating original products, and thereby detecting and deterringproduct counterfeits. In one embodiment of the invention, a system fordetecting counterfeits includes a host component and a client component.Accordingly, the client generates a plurality of security codesutilizing data received from the host, and then directs a printingdevice to print the security codes on consumer products. However, incontrast to previously known anti-counterfeiting systems, after thesecurity codes have been printed on the products, the security codes arenot retained. That is, neither the host nor the client retains thesecurity codes in short- or long-term memory, after the security codeshave been printed and the products have been placed in the stream ofcommerce. Furthermore, in one embodiment of the invention, the securitycodes are generated at the location where they are printed on products.Consequently, the security codes need not be communicated over anetwork, where they may be compromised, for example, by a network packetsniffing application.

As will be described in greater detail below, a product consumer or anyother person in the product distribution chain can verify theauthenticity of a product on which a security code has been printed bysimply communicating the security code to the host. Furthermore, a widevariety of devices and methods may be utilized to communicate a securitycode to the host for authentication. For example, a telephone may beutilized to communicate a security code to the host by speaking thesecurity code, or alternatively, by inputting the security code usingthe telephone's touch-tone dial pad. Alternatively, a computing device(e.g., personal computer, personal digital assistant, mobile phone,etc.) may be used to communicate a security code to the host. Forexample, a security code may be captured with a keyboard, telephone keypad, camera, or barcode reader and then sent to the host. After thesecurity code has been received and authenticated at the host, the hostcommunicates a result of the authentication operation to the consumer.

It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the presentinvention is particularly applicable to branded products and goods. Abranded product may include any product that has an identifiable source(e.g., manufacturer or provider). Often, but certainly not always, abranded product is marked with a proprietary name or feature, such as atrademark. In some cases, a product brand may be recognizable by thedesign, shape or color of a product or good. A branded product mayinclude, but is by no means limited to: pharmaceuticals, cosmetics,toiletries, hair care products, nutraceuticals, toys, tobacco, food,beverages, automotive parts, apparel and footwear, computer hardware andsoftware, electronics, household goods, cleaning products, eyewear, andluxury items.

FIG. 1 illustrates an anti-counterfeiting system 10, according to oneembodiment of the invention, having a host component 12 and a clientcomponent 14. In one embodiment of the invention, the host 12 may bemaintained and operated by an entity that provides anti-counterfeitingservices to one or more product manufacturers. Accordingly, the host 12may be connected by means of a network 16 to any number of clients 14.For example, a product manufacturer with several product packagingfacilities may employ several clients 14, with one client 14 at eachindividual packaging facility. Similarly, the host 12 may service avariety of clients 14 associated with different product manufacturers.

The network 16, over which the host 12 and the client 14 communicate,may be an open network, such as the Internet, or a private network. Inone embodiment of the invention, communications between the host 12 andthe client 14 are achieved by means of a secure communications protocol,for example, such as secure sockets layer (SSL) or transport layersecurity (TLS).

Referring again to FIG. 1, the client 14 includes a code generationmodule 18, code generation logic 22 and a code marking module 24. Thecode generation module 18 facilitates interaction between the client 14and users of the client 14 (e.g., client-users).

In one embodiment of the invention, a client-user may initiate thegeneration of a batch of security codes by entering a number indicatingthe size of the batch of security codes required. In addition, the codegeneration module 18 may prompt the client-user to enter product dataassociated with a product on which the security codes are to be printed.For example, the code generation module 18 may prompt the client-user toenter product data, such as a universal product code (UPC), a productdescription, a package size or quantity, a packaging image, or sometime- or location-specific attributes such as a work order, lot number,manufacturing date, use-by date, operator name, or manufacturing plant.The product data entered into the code generation module 18 may becommunicated to the host 12 along with a request to generate securitycodes.

During the authentication operation, which is described in greaterdetail below in connection with the description of FIG. 5, the productdata, or a subset of the product data, entered by the client-user orstored on the host may be displayed or otherwise communicated to aconsumer or other person in the supply chain in response to a codeauthentication request. Moreover, the particular product data that isdisplayed or communicated may vary depending on the person submittingthe code authentication request. In particular, the product datadisplayed or communicated may vary depending on the position of theperson in the overall supply chain or stream of commerce. For example, acustoms official that submits a code authentication request may bepresented with different product data than a consumer.

As described in greater detail below, in connection with the descriptionof FIG. 4, the code generation logic 22 utilizes data received from thehost 12 to generate the security codes that are printed on the products.In one embodiment of the invention, the code marking module 24 controlsthe transfer of security codes to the printing device 26, which mayprint the security codes directly on the products, or alternatively, ona product label or product packaging. Accordingly, the code markingmodule 24 may confirm that security codes are transferred correctly fromthe host 12 to the printing device 26. In addition, the code markingmodule 24 may keep a running tally of the number of security codes thathave been transferred from the client 14 to the printing device 26,and/or the number of security codes that have been printed.

The printing device 26 may be any type of printing system suitable forprinting security codes on products, labels or product packaging. Forexample, the printing device 26 may include a high-speed industrialinkjet printer (with visible or invisible ink), a thermal transferprinter (with visible or invisible dye ribbons), a laser marker or otherindustrial marking system. In certain embodiments, special invisibleinks, or other related technologies may be utilized to covertly markproducts with invisible security codes. The printing device 26 mayconsist of any combination of these printing technologies. It will beappreciated by those skilled in the art that the printing devicespecifications will be based on the customer's performance requirements,packaging or product substrate material, and operating environment, andwill generally reflect the state of the art in such printing or markingsystems.

In one embodiment of the invention, the security codes may be printed ona tamper-evident seal. Accordingly, the tamper-evident seal may bepositioned on the product in such a way that the tamper-evident seal isdestroyed when the product is opened, or otherwise used. Consequently,once destroyed, the security codes cannot be reused.

In one embodiment of the invention, the printing device 26 may beconnected to, or integrated with, a vision system 28 or other imagingdevice. The vision system 28 may scan or read each security code as itis printed to detect whether a printing problem has occurred and toensure an overall level of print quality is met. Accordingly, upondetecting an error in the printing of a particular security code, thevision system 28 may flag the security code by notifying the client 14or host 12, or otherwise rejecting the low quality printed securitycode. The vision system 28 may be implemented through use of“machine-vision”, such as an optical or non-contact reader, which hasthe ability to detect physical attributes of the security codes as theyare printed on the product, label or product packaging. The visionsystem 28, in conjunction with other process control methods, ensuresthat only high quality security codes are printed on products orpackages, while keeping the reject rate extremely low to maintain yieldand throughput on a filling or packaging line.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, the printing device 26 and vision system 28are separate from the client 14. It will be appreciated by those skilledin the art that in an alternative embodiment, the printing device 26 maybe integrated with the client 14. Similarly, the code marking module 24is shown integrated with the client 14 in FIG. 1. It will be appreciatedby those skilled in the art that in an alternative embodiment, the codemarking module 24 may be integrated with the printing device 26. In oneembodiment of the invention, the client 14 may be implemented in adistributed manner, such that one or more client components aregeographically separated. For example, in one embodiment of theinvention, the code generation module 18 may be located in a businessheadquarters, while one or more of the other components, including theprinting device, are located at a packaging facility. In a distributedembodiment, one code generation module 18 may be integrated to supportand work with multiple code marking modules 24 and/or printing devices26. Accordingly, a distributed embodiment may be implemented when amanufacturer has multiple packaging facilities.

The host 12 of the anti-counterfeiting system 10 includes anadministration module 30. Similar to the code generation module 18 ofthe client 14, the administrative module 30 facilitates interactionbetween the host 12 and a host-user.

The host 12 includes a batch identifier (batch ID) generator 36 and abatch key generator 34. As described in greater detail below, inresponse to receiving a client request to generate security codes, thebatch ID generator 36 generates a batch ID for the set of security codesand the batch key generator 34 generates an associated batch key (alsoreferred to as a seed number). The batch ID and batch key are associatedwith the client request and stored by the host 12, for example, in theproduct database 32, along with product data received with the clientrequest. In addition, the host 12 communicates the batch ID and batchkey to the client 14, which utilizes batch ID and batch key to generateunique security codes that are printed on products.

The host 12 also includes code authentication logic 38. As described ingreater detail below in connection with the description of FIG. 5, thecode authentication logic 38 receives and authenticates security codesthat have been printed on products. For example, after a security codehas been printed on a product, a consumer or other person in the supplychain or stream of commerce can communicate the security code to thehost 12 for authentication purposes. If the host 12 determines thesecurity code is authentic, the host 12 may report such to the consumer.

Consistent with an embodiment of the invention, various methods anddevices may be utilized to communicate a security code to the host 12for authentication purposes. For example, in one embodiment, a consumer40 may utilize a phone-based service (e.g., voice, short messagingsystem (SMS), web-enabled application), a personal computer, a personaldigital assistant, a camera-phone, or other computing device 42 withdata communications, to communicate a code authentication request(including the security code) to the host 12. After the security codehas been communicated to the host 12, the code authentication logic 38will validate the authenticity of the security code. In one embodimentof the invention, the host 12 may reply to the code authenticationrequest with a message including key attributes associated with theproduct. For example, the response from the host 12 may include adescription of the particular product, including the brand name, size orquantity, expiration date, date of manufacture, place of manufacture,lot number, or any other potentially relevant data.

In one embodiment of the invention, the host 12 includes an analysis andreporting module 44. The analysis and reporting module 44 has twoprimary functions. First, the analysis component provides a mechanismfor identifying potential fraudulent activity by tracking and analyzingcode authentication requests. For example, the analysis componentrecords each time a request is received to authenticate a particularsecurity code, and when possible, the source (e.g., person, geographicallocation, or other device identifier, such as an Internet Protocoladdress) from which each request is received. Accordingly, by analyzingsecurity codes received with code authentication requests, the analysiscomponent is able to detect suspicious patterns that may indicatecounterfeiting activity. For example, if an authentic security code iscopied and utilized on a batch of counterfeits, then it is likely thatseveral consumers may attempt to authenticate the same security code(e.g., the copied security code). By detecting suspicious patterns, theanalysis and reporting tool 44 can notify a manufacturer's brandsecurity personnel to monitor the activities in a particular point ofthe supply chain.

The other primary function of the analysis and reporting module 44 is areporting function. In one embodiment of the invention, the reportingcomponent of the module 44 provides a mechanism for reporting suspiciousactivities, as well as general business reports. The reports may presenta range of relevant information designed to give insight into fraudulentor suspicious activities in the supply chain and so allow brand securitypersonnel to take rapid preventative action. In addition, the reportingcomponent may generate business reports that include formatted dataassociated with authentication activities for different products.Reporting functions may be customized through the client, the host, orboth. In one embodiment, reporting rules and alerts may be establishedfor the analysis and reporting module 44 that automatically alert brandsecurity personnel if a counterfeit alert has been triggered, forexample by detecting a pattern of code authentication requestsindicating a high likelihood that a security code has been copied orcloned.

It will be appreciated by one skilled in the art that theanti-counterfeiting system 10 illustrated in FIG. I has been provided asone example or embodiment of the invention, and is not meant to belimiting in nature. The system may include other logic and functional ormodular components, the description of which has not been provided toavoid unnecessarily obscuring the invention.

FIG. 2 illustrates a method 50, according to one embodiment of theinvention, for generating a plurality of unique security codes to beprinted on products. As illustrated in FIG. 2, the operations associatedwith the method 50 that are performed at, or by, the client 14 areseparated (i.e., to the left of the dotted line 51) from thoseoperations that are performed at, or by, the host 12. At operation 52,the client 14 receives a user-initiated request to generate a number ofsecurity codes for a particular product. For example, the user-initiatedrequest may be received via the code generation module 18 of the client14. Additionally, the user-initiated request may include data associatedwith a product on which the security codes are to be printed, as well asa number indicating the quantity of security codes to be generated andprinted.

After receiving the user-initiated request, the client 14 formulates aclient request and communicates the client request to the host 12 atoperation 54. For example, in one embodiment of the invention, theclient 14 may extract a portion of the product data entered by theclient-user, and include the extracted product data in the clientrequest along with the number entered by the user that indicates thequantity of security codes to be generated and printed. The client 14then communicates the client request (e.g., over the network 16) to thehost 12. In one embodiment of the invention, communications between theclient 14 and host 12 are encrypted, or otherwise secured.

At operation 56, the host 12 receives the client request. In response toreceiving the client request, at operation 58, the host 12 generates abatch identifier and batch key (or seed number). The batch ID may begenerated in any way that assures the batch ID is distinct from allpreviously-used batch IDs, such as a simple numerical progression, adeterministic pseudo-random sequence, or a series of randomly generatedvalues from which duplicates are removed. The batch keys can begenerated by a pseudo-random sequence, a hardware random numbergenerator, or any method that generates keys that are difficult topredict. It will be appreciated by one skilled in the art that in orderto assure the integrity of the security codes it is important that thebatch keys are generated in a way that cannot be predicted by anindividual or system attempting to generate counterfeit codes. The batchkeys should also be unique to prevent duplicate security codes frombeing generated by the client 14. The batch ID and batch key are storedalong with the product data received from the client 14 in the host's 12product database 32. Then, after generating the batch ID and batch key,at operation 60, the host 12 communicates the batch ID and batch key tothe client 14.

In one embodiment of the invention, an optional encryption key 94 (alsoknown as a scrambling ID), may be communicated from the host 12 to theclient 14 along with the batch ID and batch key. As described in greaterdetail below, the encryption key 94 indicates a particular scrambling orencryption method that is to be utilized by the client 14 during thegeneration of the security codes, and by the host 12 duringauthentication of a security code. Alternatively, rather than passingthe encryption key 94 from the host 12 to the client 14, the host 12 andclient 14 may be configured to utilize a predetermined scrambling orencryption method.

Upon receiving, at operation 62, the batch ID and batch key from thehost 12, the client 14 utilizes the batch ID and batch key to generate aplurality of security codes at operation 64. In addition, at operation64, the client 14 directs a printing device 26 to print the securitycodes on products, without retaining the security codes in a securitycode repository (e.g., a database or recording medium). Consequently,after the client 14 has directed the printing device 26 to print thesecurity codes on the individual products, neither the client 14 nor thehost 12 retains the security codes. That is, the security codes are notretained in memory and are not written to disk storage. Neither do thesecurity codes need to be transmitted to the host 12. This prevents thesecurity codes from being compromised if an unauthorized person gainsaccess to the client 14 or the host 12. Moreover, as the security codesare generated at the printing location, there is no risk that thesecurity codes will be compromised in transit (e.g., over a network) tothe printing location. The client 14 does not retain the batch key afterthe security codes have been printed, so no additional security codescan be produced without making a new request from the client 14 to thehost 12.

After printing of all security codes for the batch is complete, theclient 14 optionally communicates to the host 12 the actual number ofsecurity codes that were printed, which may be less than the numberoriginally requested if code generation or printing are interrupted orif the number of products to be produced is less than anticipated.

FIG. 3 illustrates a method 70, according to an embodiment of theinvention, for authenticating a product on which a security code hasbeen printed. As illustrated in FIG. 3 the operations associated withthe method 70 that are performed at, or by, the host 12 are separated(i.e., to the right of the dotted line 71) from those operations thatare performed by a consumer or other person in a product supply orproduct distribution chain. In one embodiment of the invention, themethod 70 for authenticating a product begins at operation 72, when aconsumer identifies the security code on the packaging of the product inquestion.

Next, at operation 74, the consumer communicates a code authenticationrequest, including the security code, to the host 12. In variousembodiments of the invention, operation 74 may be achieved in one ofseveral ways. If the security code is provided as alphanumeric text onthe product, label or product packaging, then the consumer maycommunicate the security code to the host's code authentication logic 38utilizing any communication device that enables the consumer to enterthe alphanumeric text. For example, a consumer may use a Web-basedapplication executing on a computing device, such as a personalcomputer, personal digital assistant (PDA), mobile phone, or any othersimilar device, to communicate the security code over a network to thehost 12. In one embodiment of the invention, the host's 12 codeauthentication logic 38 may include a speech recognition module,computer telephony application, or integrated voice response unit (notshown). Accordingly, a consumer may speak the alphanumeric security codeinto a telephone to communicate the security code to the host 12. Incertain embodiments of the invention, the security code may bealphanumeric text that has been encoded as a graphic symbol, such as adatamatrix, or other barcode. In such a case, the consumer may utilize adevice with an image reading or image capturing mechanism to communicatethe security code to the host 12. For example, a camera or scanner maybe used to capture an image of the security code (e.g., graphic symbol),which is then communicated to the host. In certain embodiments of theinvention, the graphic symbol may be decoded, resulting in alphanumerictext, prior to being communicated to the host 12. Alternatively, incertain embodiments of the invention, the host's 12 code authenticationlogic 38 may include a decoding component that is able to decode scannedimages of the graphic symbol into alphanumeric text.

Referring again to the method 70 illustrated in FIG. 3, at operation 76,the host 12 receives the code authentication request and the securitycode. At operation 78, the host 12 authenticates the security code. Anexample of an authentication operation is provided in the descriptionbelow with reference to FIG. 5. It will be appreciated by those skilledin the art, that the authentication operation may vary depending uponthe particular implementation. However, consistent with the invention,neither the host nor the client store the security code after it hasbeen printed on the product. Consequently, the code authentication logic38 is able to authenticate the security code without accessing a copy ofthe security code stored in a repository or database.

After the security code has been authenticated by the host's 12 codeauthentication logic 38, at operation 80, the host 12 may communicatethe result of the authentication operation to the consumer. In oneembodiment of the invention, the result of the authentication operationwill be communicated in the same manner as the code authenticationrequest and security code were received from the consumer. For example,if the request was received via a telephone call, then an automatedcomputer telephony application may communicate the result of theoperation to the consumer via the telephone. Alternatively, in oneembodiment of the invention, a different means of communication may beused to communicate the result of the authentication operation than wasused to receive the security code. In any case, at operation 82, theconsumer receives the result of the authentication operation.

It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that, in theforegoing examples, operations attributed to a consumer may actually becarried out by a computing device. For example, a result of theauthentication process is communicated to a consumer by means of somecomputing device or telephone. In addition, it will be appreciated bythose skilled in the art that the functional components, modules, andlogic described herein may be implemented in hardware, software, or anycombination thereof.

FIG. 4 illustrates the operations and data flow associated with a methodfor generating security codes, according to an embodiment of theinvention. The operations illustrated in FIG. 4 serve as one example ofthe client-side operation 64 of method 50 illustrated in FIG. 2.Accordingly, after initiating a client request to generate securitycodes, the code generation logic 22 of the client 14 receives data fromthe host 12. In particular, the data received from the host 12 includesthree portions: a batch ID 92, a batch key 90, and an optionalencryption key 94. In addition to a serial number 96 generated by aserial number generator 98 that is part of the client's code generationlogic 22, the three portions of data received from the host 12 areutilized to generate security codes.

The operation to generate a security code begins with a serial number96, a batch ID 92 and a batch key 90 (which may also be known as a seednumber). The serial number 96 is a unique identifier of the productwithin the batch identified by the batch ID 92. The serial number 96 maybe generated by the client 14 in any way that assures the serial numberis distinct from all previously-generated serial numbers in that batch,such as a simple numerical progression, a deterministic pseudo-randomsequence, or a series of randomly generated values from which duplicatesare removed.

A verification value 102 is produced by combining one or more of thebatch ID 92 and serial number 96 with the batch key 90. The verificationvalue can later be used to determine the authenticity of the resultingsecurity code 112. In one embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 4,the batch key 90 is used as the seed for a pseudo-random numbergenerator 100 to generate a pseudo-random number that is used as theverification value 102. After the verification value 102 has beengenerated, the serial number 96, batch ID 92 and verification value 102are optionally scrambled and/or encrypted by encryption logic 104. Itwill be appreciated by those skilled in the art that a wide variety ofwell-known encryption/decryption algorithms may be utilized. Forexample, in one embodiment of the invention, a simple transpositionalgorithm is utilized to encrypt the data.

In one embodiment of the invention, the encryption algorithm utilized bythe encryption logic 104 to encrypt the data (e.g., the serial number96, batch ID 92, and verification value 102) is associated with anencryption key 94. For example, in one embodiment of the invention,encryption logic 104 is capable of performing a wide variety ofencryption algorithms. Accordingly, an encryption key 94 received fromthe host 12, instructs or directs the encryption logic 104 to use aparticular encryption algorithm to encrypt the serial number 96, batchID 92, and verification value 102. Consequently, during anauthentication operation, the host 12, which originally selects andassigns the encryption key 94, will be able to decrypt the encrypteddata 106 to realize the serial number 96, batch ID 92, and verificationvalue 102. In one embodiment of the invention, the encryption key 94 maybe generated and assigned at the time the host 12 communicates the batchID 92 and batch key 90 to the client. Alternatively, the encryption key94 may be assigned prior to the request to generate security codes. Forexample, in one embodiment of the invention, an encryption key 94 may beassigned on a per-client 14 basis, such that each client has its ownencryption key 94 that is known by the host 12.

After the serial number 96, batch ID 92, and verification value 102 havebeen encrypted to form the encrypted data 106, optional encryption keyinsertion logic 108 may insert all or a portion of the encryption key 94into the encrypted data 106 to complete the generation of the securitycode 110. For example, the encryption key 94 may be inserted into theencrypted data 106 at a known position. Consequently, during anauthentication operation, the code authentication logic 38 of the host12 can extract the encryption key 94 from the known position in thesecurity code.

Once the encryption key 94 has been inserted into the encrypted data106, the security code 110 is ready to be printed on a product, label orproduct packaging. In one embodiment of the invention, the resultingsecurity code may be a sequence of sixteen alphanumeric characters. Forexample, in FIG. 4, the security code 110 is shown as a string ofsixteen alphanumeric characters 112. Alternatively, in one embodiment ofthe invention, the alphanumeric characters may be encoded into a graphicsymbol, such as the datamatrix illustrated in FIG. 6B. In either case,after the security code is generated by the code generation logic 22,the code marking module 24 controls and manages the transfer of thesecurity code to the printing device 26, and the actual printing of thesecurity code onto the product, label, or product packaging.

Referring again to FIG. 4, after a first security code has beengenerated, the code generation operation continues by generating thenext serial number 114 for the batch. To generate the second securitycode, which corresponds to the second serial number, a secondverification value is produced by combining the second serial numberand/or the batch ID with the batch key. In one embodiment of theinvention, the random number generator 100 is run, iteratively, a numberof times equal to the serial number. That is, the pseudo-random numbergenerated during the first pass is used as an input (e.g., a seed) intothe pseudo-random number generator 100 for the second pass. Accordingly,the pseudo-random number generator 100 is run twice to generate theverification value for the second security code, which is associatedwith the second serial number, and three times for the third securitycode, which is associated with the third serial number, and so on, untilall of the security codes have been generated. When the quantity ofgenerated serial numbers, and corresponding security codes, is equal tothe number of security codes originally requested by the client, thecode generation operation is complete.

FIG. 5 illustrates the operations and data flow associated with a methodfor authenticating a product containing a security code, according to anembodiment of the invention. The operations illustrated in FIG. 5 serveas one example of the host-side operation 78 of method 70 illustrated inFIG. 3.

As illustrated in FIG. 5, the authentication operation begins with aprinted security code 112. For example, in FIG. 5 the security code is acombination of 16 characters and numbers. First, optional encryption keyextraction logic 116 extracts the encryption key 94 from the securitycode 112. Because the code generation logic 22 inserted the encryptionkey 94 into the security code in a known position, the codeauthentication logic 38 has knowledge of the position of the encryptionkey 94 within the security code 112. As a result of extracting theencryption key 94, the security code is reduced to encrypted data 106(e.g., serial number 96, batch ID 92, and verification value 102).

After the encryption key 94 has been extracted, the encryption key 94 isutilized as an input to decryption logic 118 to decrypt the encrypteddata 106 into its component parts, for example, the serial number 96,batch ID 92, and verification value 102. Next, the batch identifier 92is utilized in a look-up operation 120 to determine the batch key 90that was utilized to generate the verification value 102. A copy of thebatch key 90, which is initially generated at the host 12 in response tothe client's request to generate security codes, is stored at the host12 along with the batch ID 92 and any product data received from theclient 14 as part of the initial request to generate security codes.Consequently, once the batch ID 92 is determined, the codeauthentication logic 38 can look-up the batch key 90, as well as anyproduct data that is associated with the batch ID 92.

Finally, the host 12 uses the same method as the client 14 did toproduce a second verification value 124 by combining the serial number96 and/or the batch ID 92 with the batch key 90. In one embodiment ofthe invention, after the batch ID 92 is used to look-up the batch key90, the batch key 90 is used as a seed for a second pseudo-random numbergenerator 122, which utilizes the same logic as the pseudo-random numbergenerator 100 of the client 12. The second pseudo-random numbergenerator 122 is then run, iteratively, a number of times equal to theserial number 96, such that each pass uses the result (e.g., theresulting pseudo-random number) of the previous pass as a seed. Theresulting pseudo-random number is used as the second verification value124, which is then compared with the first verification value 102decrypted by the decryption logic 118. If the verification values 102and 124 are identical, then the host 12 reports that the security code112 is authentic. However, if the verification values 102 and 124 arenot identical, the host 12 reports that the security code 112 is notauthentic.

In one embodiment of the invention, product data associated with a batchID may be communicated to a consumer, or other person in thedistribution chain of a product, in response to that person submitting acode authentication request to the host. For example, in one embodimentof the invention, the product data that is communicated to the consumermay indicate the assigned destination (e.g., geographical location orretail store) for a given product. That is, the product data mayindicate the final destination in the distribution chain for thatparticular product. Accordingly, the consumer can determine whether aproduct has been diverted from its originally assigned destination. Inanother embodiment of the invention, product data communicated to theconsumer may include data associated with a manufacturing date, a“use-by” or a “sell-by” date. Accordingly, the consumer can determine ifsomeone in the distribution chain of the product has tampered with theproduct packaging by changing a date associated with the product. Ingeneral, by providing product data during a code authentication request,several aspects related to a product can be authenticated.

FIG's. 6A and 6B illustrate examples of security codes, according to anembodiment of the invention. In one embodiment of the invention, thesecurity code may be a string of sixteen alphanumeric charactersconsisting of numbers and letters, such as the security code 130 shownin FIG. 6A. By utilizing different combinations of sixteen alphanumericcharacters, more than a million, billion, billion (1024) unique securitycodes may be generated. However, it will be appreciated by one skilledin the art that alternative embodiments of the invention may use asecurity code that is more or less than sixteen characters in length,and may use a security code that makes use of the entire set of ASCIIcharacters.

FIG. 6B illustrates a security code 132 represented as a graphic symbol.In particular, the security code 132 shown in FIG. 6B is a specialmachine readable graphic symbol known as a datamatrix. A datamatrix is atwo-dimensional matrix barcode consisting of black and white squaremodules arranged in either a square or rectangular pattern. Similar to atraditional barcode, a datamatrix can be read by a machine, such as amatrix barcode reader. Encoding an alphanumeric representation of thesecurity code in a graphic symbol, such as the datamatrix 132 of FIG.6B, provides several advantages. First, error correction and redundancyare built-in to the datamatrix 132. Consequently, a security coderepresented as a datamatrix can still be read if it becomes partiallydamaged. Another advantage is the small footprint, or size, of thedatamatrix. A datamatrix can encode as many as 50 characters in a threeby three millimeter square, which can be discretely positioned on aproduct, a label, or product packaging. Finally, the datamatrix can bequickly and easily read by a machine. Of course, it will be appreciatedby those skilled in the art that in various alternative embodiments,security codes may be encoded with other graphic symbologies, forexample, such as barcode fonts consistent with the PDF417 or QR Codestandards.

In one embodiment of the invention, both versions of the security code130 and 132 may be included on the product, label, or product packaging.For example, the alphanumeric representation of the security code 130and the graphic symbol representation 132 may appear together on theproduct, label or product packaging. This provides a wide range ofpossible methods and mechanisms for reading and communicating thesecurity code to the host 12 for authentication.

In one embodiment of the invention, when extra security is required, thesecurity codes may be applied or printed to the product, label, orproduct packaging in a covert manner, such that a consumer is not awareof the existence of the security code. For example, the security codesmay be applied to the products, labels or product packaging with aspecial invisible ink or other chemical-based application making thesecurity code invisible to a consumer. According to the type ofinvisible ink or chemical used to apply the security code, reading thesecurity code may require the application of heat, ultraviolet light, ora chemical. This approach may be utilized when someone in the supply ordistribution chain other than the consumer is likely to beauthenticating the product. For example, a covert security code may beprovided for the purpose of authenticating products by customsofficials.

FIG. 7 shows a diagrammatic representation of a machine in the exemplaryform of a computer system 300 within which a set of instructions, forcausing the machine to perform any one or more of the methodologiesdiscussed herein, may be executed. In alternative embodiments, themachine operates as a standalone device or may be connected (e.g.,networked) to other machines. In a networked deployment, the machine mayoperate in the capacity of a server (e.g., host 12) or a client 14machine in a client-server network environment, or as a peer machine ina peer-to-peer (or distributed) network environment. The machine may bea server computer, a client computer, a personal computer (PC), a tabletPC, a set-top box (STB), a personal digital assistant (PDA), a cellulartelephone, a web appliance, a network router, switch or bridge, or anymachine capable of executing a set of instructions (sequential orotherwise) that specify actions to be taken by that machine.Furthermore, while only a single machine is illustrated, the term“machine” shall also be taken to include any collection of machines thatindividually or jointly execute a set (or multiple sets) of instructionsto perform any one or more of the methodologies discussed herein.

The exemplary computer system 300 includes a processor 302 (e.g., acentral processing unit (CPU) a graphics processing unit (GPU) or both),a main memory 304 and a nonvolatile memory 306, which communicate witheach other via a bus 308. The computer system 300 may further include avideo display unit 310 (e.g., a liquid crystal display (LCD) or acathode ray tube (CRT)). The computer system 300 also includes analphanumeric input device 312 (e.g., a keyboard), a cursor controldevice 314 (e.g., a mouse), a disk drive unit 316, a signal generationdevice 318 (e.g., a speaker) and a network interface device 320.

The disk drive unit 316 includes a machine-readable medium 322 on whichis stored one or more sets of instructions (e.g., software 324)embodying any one or more of the methodologies or functions describedherein. The software 324 may also reside, completely or at leastpartially, within the main memory 304 and/or within the processor 302during execution thereof by the computer system 300, the main memory 304and the processor 302 also constituting machine-readable media. Thesoftware 324 may further be transmitted or received over a network 326via the network interface device 320.

While the machine-readable medium 322 is shown in an exemplaryembodiment to be a single medium, the term “machine-readable medium”should be taken to include a single medium or multiple media (e.g., acentralized or distributed database, and/or associated caches andservers) that store the one or more sets of instructions. The term“machine-readable medium” shall also be taken to include any medium thatis capable of storing, encoding or carrying a set of instructions forexecution by the machine and that cause the machine to perform any oneor more of the methodologies of the present invention. The term“machine-readable medium” shall accordingly be taken to include, but notbe limited to, solid-state memories, optical and magnetic media, andcarrier wave signals.

Thus, a method and system for deterring counterfeits have beendescribed. Although the present invention has been described withreference to specific exemplary embodiments, it will be evident thatvarious modifications and changes may be made to these embodimentswithout departing from the broader spirit and scope of the invention.Accordingly, the specification and drawings are to be regarded in anillustrative rather than a restrictive sense.

1-24. (canceled)
 25. A method comprising: receiving a request togenerate a set of unique security codes, each separate security code tobe placed on a separate product item; further receiving product dataassociated with a product on which the security codes are to be printed;generating and providing the security codes in response to the request;in response to receiving a request to authenticate whether a securitycode is one of the generated security codes, determining whether asecurity code is one of the generated security codes; and providing aresult of the determining whether the security code is on of thegenerated security codes, and further providing at least part ofpreviously received product data.
 26. The method of claim 25, whereinthe product data associated with the product on which the security codesare to be printed comprises an intended destination of the product 27.The method of claim 25, wherein the product data associated with theproduct on which the security codes are to be printed comprises one ormore of a universal product code (UPC), a product description, a packagesize, a quantity, or a product or packaging image.
 28. The method ofclaim 25, wherein the product data associated with the product on whichthe security codes are to be printed comprises one or more of a timeattribute, a location attribute, a work order, a lot number, amanufacturing date, a use-by date, an operator name, or a manufacturingplant.
 29. The method of claim 25 wherein the providing at least part ofthe previously received product data, is dependent on an identifiedposition of a requester.
 30. The method of claim 29, wherein theidentified position of the requester is one of a customs official or aconsumer.
 31. A machine readable medium having stored thereon a set ofinstructions which when executed perform a method comprising: receivingrequest to generate a set of unique security codes, each separatesecurity code to be placed on a separate product item; further receivingproduct data associated with a product on which the security codes areto be printed; generating and providing the security codes in responseto the request; in response to receiving a request to authenticatewhether a security code is one of the generated security codes,determining whether a security code is one of the generated securitycodes; and providing a result of the determining whether the securitycode is on of the generated security codes, and further providing atleast part of previously received product data.
 32. The machine readablemedium of claim 31, wherein the product data associated with the producton which the security codes are to be printed comprises an intendeddestination of the product.
 33. The machine readable medium of claim 31,wherein the product data associated with the product on which thesecurity codes are to be printed comprises one or more of a universalproduct code (UPC), a product description, a package size, a quantity,or a packaging image.
 34. The machine readable medium of claim 7 claim31, wherein the product data associated with the product on which thesecurity codes are to be printed comprises one or more of a timeattribute, a location attribute, a work order, a lot number, amanufacturing date, a use-by date, an operator name, or a manufacturingplant.
 35. The machine readable medium of claim 31, wherein theproviding at least part of the previously received product data, isdependent on an identified position of a requester.
 36. The machinereadable medium of claim 35, wherein the identified position of therequester is one of a customs official or a consumer.
 37. A systemcomprising: a unit to receive request to generate a set of uniquesecurity codes, each separate security code to be placed on a separateproduct item; a unit to further receive product data associated with aproduct on which the security codes are to be printed; a unit togenerate and provide the security codes in response to the request; aunit to determine whether a security code is one of the generatedsecurity codes, in response to receiving a request to authenticatewhether a security code is one of the generated security codes; and aunit to provide a result of the determining whether the security code ison of the generated security codes, and further providing at least partof previously received product data.
 38. The system of claim 37, whereinthe product data associated with the product on which the security codesare to be printed comprises an intended destination of the product 39.The system of claim 37, wherein the product data associated with theproduct on which the security codes are to be printed comprises one ormore of a universal product code (UPC), a product description, a packagesize, a quantity, or a packaging image.
 40. The system of claim 37,wherein the product data associated with the product on which thesecurity codes are to be printed comprises one or more of a timeattribute, a location attribute, a work order, a lot number, amanufacturing date, a use-by date, an operator name, or a manufacturingplant.
 41. The system of claim 37, wherein the providing at least partof the previously received product data, is dependent on an identifiedposition of a requester.
 42. The system of claim 41 wherein theidentified position of the requester is one of a customs official or aconsumer.